50 Shippings to boot with
by Writer under training
Summary: 50 Shippings to boot with is what it means. 50 different one shots from 50 different shippings! Get ready to immerse yourself into the sea of romance! Currently One Shipping posted, 49 more to go! Pokeshipping: Drifting Apart!
1. Chapter 1

**I am guessing what's on your mind. LOLWUT? Another story? Does this guy even have a life? ** **Haha, I have a life...I just don't take it seriously.**

Hello friends.

50 Shippings to boot with is a challenge I have made for myself. This will be a test to my romance writing skill, and also a means to enjoy the various pairings in the Pokémon Anime History.

This is essentially a collection of 50 independent Shipping One-Shots for unique pairings. The following is the list of pairings I'd love to write. Due criticism is needed for improvement :p

If a particular ship is not in the list or is not chosen to write over less popular shipping, it only means that I don't like that particular pairing. An example is EgoShipping. I am not denying the possibility of such shipping nor am I flaming it. I simply don't prefer it over some other fic.

Here are the promised first ten. The names are put randomly and don't indicate how much I like them. FYI, I like ComakariShipping. It will mostly be the 50th and the only love triangle perhaps.

**The Next Ten:**

1) PokeShipping

2) AdvanceShipping

3) WishfulShipping

4) AlmostStraightShipping

5) LuckShipping

6) SommelierShipping

7) ContestShipping

8) IkariShipping

9) PearlShipping

10) NegaiShipping


	2. Pokeshipping: Drifting Apart!

**Pokeshipping: Drifting Apart**

_"The exciting match between the Challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and the Cerulean Mermaid, Elite Four Misty Waterflower is about to begin! This match will be Ash's first challenge to overcome if he wants to defeat Lance and participate in the Champion's League. Who will win this match? Ash or Misty?"_

Twenty four years old Misty closed her eyes as the crowd applauded either of the battlers. Honestly, she should be nervous as this was her first match as an Elite Four of Kanto. But she was confident of her abilities and she wasn't worried about unconsciously holding back on the stranger standing before her.

Yes, the raven-haired man who was standing before her, challenging to a battle with fierce brown eyes, was a stranger. The man named Ash Ketchum was a stranger to her because she had neither seen nor talked to him for about ten years. One could call such a person a stranger, right?

He didn't speak a word. There was a grim expression on his face, maybe because he was hurt by the words she said to him a few minutes ago. It was strange; she hadn't told him anything wrong did she? She simply said what they were to each other.

Strangers.

* * *

**About Nine Years Ago**

**Misty Waterflower: 16 Years Old**

"I told you I don't care!" The redhead yelled into the cordless phone. Misty Waterflower was a young woman in her mid-teens, known for her ill-temper. If not for her occasional moody behavior, she was a genuinely polite woman to associate with. Unfortunately, the person on the other side of the phone couldn't vouch for the same. "I want to catch that match live! A friend of mine is participating in it!" She paused as she heard the other side squirm something in reply. "I hope so, for your sake." She said before slamming the phone back to its stand.

The Cerulean Gym Leader gave an exasperated sigh. Screaming at the cable operator tired out her lungs. The Unova League was due to air in fifteen minutes. She had already missed the opening ceremony by now. If the idiotic operator won't find the correct frequency by the next fifteen minutes, she would miss the matches too. Even if she wasn't physically present by his side, he could be counting on her to watch and cheer him from afar.

She settled down on the soft couch, the exhaustion was finally catching up to her body. A day's work at the Cerulean Gym was extremely tiring. She was wearing a yellow shirt over her blue shorts. Her hair which was usually tied into a pig tail was set loose, it was quite short that it barely reached her shoulders.

The clock was five minutes short of five, which was when the first match for the league would begin. Normally she would stay till seven in the gym. She excused herself for an early retirement that evening so that she could catch the Unova League Matches.

"Hey Misty," a voice hummed as a new presence entered the living room. The blonde woman, Daisy Waterflower was around six years older than the redhead Cerulean Gym Leader and was the only sister whom Misty could actually bear. The said woman carried a white envelope in her hand. "It's a letter…for you," she said handing it to her younger sister.

A letter obviously meant official work. Only the PLA still sent official information through post in the modern age infested with internet.

Daisy watched as her sister's emerald eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my god," Misty blinked, shaking her head. "Daisy, this is amazing!" She said jumping to her feet. She said, reading the letter again. "It's an invitation for the Wallace Cup!"

"Wallace?" Daisy tapped her chin with her finger, trying to remember where she had heard the name before.

"The Water Pokémon Master Wallace!" Misty exclaimed, half-frowning at her sister for forgetting such an important person.

Daisy's face finally lit up in recognition. "Oh, the Contest master!" She exclaimed. Daisy remembered the handsome and cool-looking water trainer. He was in the sensational sister's top list of handsome men.

"Yes," Misty said, clutching onto the letter. "He has invited me to his infamous water Pokémon tournament."

It was an amazing honor. The tournament was in fact open to anyone, but getting an invitation to participate was something else. Misty was pretty sure that the PLA was responsible for the invitation. She remembered Inspector Joy mentioning something about recommending her to a major tournament in the future. The League had ties with Wallace, and liked to send the water Pokémon gym leaders under their disposal as an attraction to their tournament.

It only meant one thing; the PLA was finally recognizing her.

* * *

**Present**

"Pikachu, Volttackle!"

The stranger's attacks were ruthless. He constantly pressured her into defense by sending one electric attack after the other. His battle style was utterly reckless, just like his attitude. But she was an Elite Four, and she knew more than well to handle people like him.

"Golduck," she commanded her prized water Pokémon as the rodent lunged at them. "Psychic!"

The rodent's electric attack was stopped by the psychic attack. The Pokémon was then lifted into the air as the mouse whimpered helplessly.

The stranger was panicking. His Pokémon was in her control now. Pikachu was the stranger's strongest countermeasure against Water types. If she could defeat it, she had won half the match already.

"Don't give up, Pikachu!" He exclaimed. "Thunderbolt!"

The rodent's face turned serious. It let out a growl as its cheeks sparked with electricity. The stranger was shifting from a physical attack to a long ranged one to deal with her Psychic.

She wasn't going to let him win so easily.

"Golduck, Disable!"

As the rodent prepared to let out the electric attack, Golduck let out a psionic wave that immediately stopped the rodent's attack. The rodent, stunned by its sudden inability to launch its most favorite move, landed on the ground, a befuddled look on its face.

The stranger frowned at this. "Not bad," he said, gritting his teeth. "You've gotten a lot better, Mist."

Misty didn't respond to the stranger's comment. She simply brushed tendrils of long hair that fell on her shoulders back.

She shifted her attention the battle. The rodent was still struggling from the fact that it couldn't use Thunderbolt anymore for a while. It was a perfect chance for her. "Golduck, Hydropump!"

* * *

**Two months after the invitation to Wallace Cup**

**Misty Waterflower: Still 16 Years Old**

**Cerulean Gym Leader**

"Wallace will be joining us shortly," the brunette, Wallace's Personal Secretary said as the two women stood in the waiting room filled with participants of the Wallace Cup. "He has a few last minute arrangements to do before he gets on the stage. Why don't you wait here for a while?"

"Sure," Misty nodded before the woman left. Soon, the redhead was left alone in a waiting room filled with excited Pokémon Coordinators.

The amount of fancy clothing around her astonished Misty. Almost all the participants were dressed in some kind of flashy dress or the other making her doubt if it was a Pokémon Contest or a fashion show. Her own dressing looked extremely bland in comparison. She was wearing her usual yellow sleeveless top over matching short. She cut her hair short, just like always and was tied up into a pigtail.

The Water Pokémon Gym Leader suddenly felt out of place. She should have listened to Daisy's advice and wore something nice.

Having nothing else to do, Misty continued to scan the people around. Her sense of dressing was poor for a girl, but she was certainly better than the dork she once travelled with. Most of Ash's clothes were his mom's selection.

Her attention fell on another redhead in the room. _'Looks like I'm not the only one with short hair.'_ She chuckled to herself. That was when she saw the blue-haired girl talking to the redhead.

_'Wow,'_ those wore Misty's first feelings when she saw the girl. The blunette was pretty, and knew how to dress well. She was wearing a yellow ball gown with white frills and matching white gloves that extended till her elbows and white shoes. Her beautiful blue hair was made into ringlets, and was tied up by a pink ribbon.

Although the girl looked beautiful the redhead was positive that the girl would mostly have an annoying attitude. Her experience comes from her sisters who were not only extremely selfish but also constantly rubbed the fact that they looked better than her. It was perhaps her main reason to travel with Ash in the first place.

As she drifted into her world of thoughts, the blunette whom she was watching shifted her gaze as she continued to speak with her redhead friend. The blunette's gaze however rested when it fell on Misty. She blinked for a second, while continuing to gaze the redhead.

Misty was puzzled, the blunette seems to have recognized her from somewhere. She definitely didn't see her during her journey or the three years she spent as a Gym leader.

The blunette, much to her surprise excused herself from the other redhead and approached Misty. The Cerulean Gym Leader smiled, while still racking her brains. Could she be one of her sister's friends? She rarely met them because they were as vain as her sisters.

"You're Misty, aren't you?" The blunette asked, doubtful.

"Yes," Misty greeted back with a smile. "I'm sorry…" she hesitated. "Did we meet before?"

The girl smiled at this. "No," she said. "This is the first time we're meeting."

Now she was really confused. She looked a lot young to be one of her sisters' friends. The girl was in fact younger than she was.

"My name is Dawn," the girl said, offering Misty a hand. "I used to travel with Ash in Sinnoh."

Ash...! "Oh," Misty laughed, finally clearing out of the confusion.

"You look a lot like your fishing lure," Dawn mocked, smiling one more time.

"Wait," Misty was pleasantly surprised. "So that's how you recognized me?"

Wow, she never knew Ash had still preserved one of her Misty specials. She had given him the lure as her way to encourage him. She had in fact expected him to lose it soon enough.

Contrary to her expectations, Dawn was a sweet girl and they immediately became friends. Their conversation took its natural course towards the only person they had in common, Ash. They shared jokes about his quirks, his dedication to Gym battles, and his extreme dense reactions to anything related to romance.

**Later that night…**

Misty returned to her hotel room after an eventful day. Not only did she get to meet the amazing Wallace, she even got to meet a new friend in the form of Dawn. After perhaps three years of a static life in Cerulean Gym, she felt rejuvenated as she shared various experiences and adventures with her. She realized she missed the wonderful days of travelling throughout various regions with her friends while meeting new people and exploring new places.

Her life in the Cerulean Gym was routine. She gets up at six in the morning, feed the Pokémon, empty the pool and fill it with fresh water, groom and train some of them and battle overzealous challengers who come for the Cascade badge. She wasn't even sure what she was doing in the gym all alone with nothing but a couple of gym trainers as her company.

For the first time in life Misty questioned herself: What was she doing?

What did she do when she followed Ash? Why did she follow him? What was her goal? What and how much did she accomplish in her two years of journey? What did she do in the three years of her life as a Gym Leader?

The more she questioned herself, the more she discovered about herself. Everyone questions what they were doing in life, and that day was Misty's turn.

She began from the moment her journey began. She left Cerulean in an attempt to get strong on her own and prove that she was better than her sisters. It began as a childish tantrum but grew into a real dream when she turned eleven. She travelled many places filled with water Pokémon and fished for rare ones. That was when she fished out something much rarer, a friend in the form of Ash Ketchum.

He was impossible from the start. He was a beginning Pokémon trainer but with no proper knowledge of the basics itself. He bragged to become a Pokémon Master like most ten year old people would. But as she saw how he actually cared about Pokémon and wasn't like most ten year brats that want to become the very best that like no one ever was. She started following under the ruse that she would follow him till he returned her burnt bike. But more than that she was interested in how this guy would grow into a trainer and challenge gyms.

Surprisingly, he somehow was more talented than she had imagined.

* * *

**Present**

_"What an amazing power! Golduck's Hydropump is something you wouldn't like to mess with!"_

The red-haired woman in her late twenties stood proud and confident. There were no doubts of her chances of victory. She was an Elite Four, despite a new one she lived up to the name.

The rodent struggled to get up. Its light body was blown away by Golduck's powerful Hydropump and crashed into the stadium walls. An impact like that would normally defeat any other Pokémon of the same species, but the electric type was much more stubborn to lose.

_"Pikachu is not willing to give up either. This battle is really a treat to watch."_

"Are you okay, buddy?" The stranger asked his Pokémon, a genuine concern on his face. The rodent nodded in response and turned towards Golduck, a renewed determination on its face.

Misty gritted her teeth for some reason she didn't know. The stranger's bond with his Pokémon was tremendous, and it was making her mad. Why? He was a stranger and he loves his Pokémon. Why would she get angry over it?

* * *

**Three days after her return from Wallace Cup**

**Misty Waterflower: Still 16 Years Old**

**Cerulean Gym Leader**

While Misty was in Johto, she heard that Ash had already returned from Unova after travelling through Decorola Archipelago. She was actually expecting him to come much sooner as the league was long since over. Apparently, he decided to explore the Decorola Archipelago which were said to be abundant with rare Pokémon.

It's so like him to do that, she smiled. Right now, she was pacing her way towards Cerulean City. She took the shortcut that avoided Mt. Moon and reached Pallet Town in less than four hours on her now- repaired bicycle.

It had already been a week since Ash came back from Unova. Had Mrs. Ketchum not called her the day before, she wouldn't even have known that he was back. Knowing Ash he would soon leave for the next region. Actually, she had in fact missed him when he came back from Sinnoh. She didn't consider meeting visiting Pallet as it hadn't even been two days since he returned back from Sinnoh. Then she heard from Mrs. Ketchum that they were in fact going on a vacation to Unova. She wanted to visit Ash before he left, but his mother assured that they would be back in few days after Professor Oak's conference ends.

Except, he hadn't returned for one year since then. Yes, it was as if he was a VIP who gives you an appointment only once in an year and you were bound to meet him in that little time interval no matter what.

She parked the bicycle in the Ketchum's courtyard while making sure she didn't destroy any flowering plants in the process. Mr. Mime gave her an earful the last time it happened.

She knocked the door and waited eagerly for it open. She didn't inform her arrival, so Ash would definitely be surprised. God, it had already been two years since she saw him. He disappeared on her after he returned back from the Hoenn League. She didn't visit when he returned back from his Kanto journey and it was two years since then!

She watched him perform in the Sinnoh League and was astounded by how strong he had become. His Unova League seemed to be a bit shabby in comparison but he still managed to get into the top eight. He had grown so much in the time and even met this beautiful girl called Dawn. She wondered if he had developed a crush on her like he did with Giselle. Well Dawn didn't hint anything of that sort but…

"Misty?"

She was interrupted out of her thoughts by a familiar voice. "Mrs. Ketchum," Misty smiled at the auburn-haired woman standing before her.

"Come in," the woman gave her way. The redhead walked into the familiar house. She had been in Pallet for two months during Ash's Indigo Challenge and visited the place from time to time. She had examined the photos that were arranged on the wall. The photos of him with after the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn were familiar but there were two more new ones. There were two more new faces on his more recent photos. They must be Iris and Cilan, she thought. Dawn mentioned going to Unova before coming to Johto.

The house seemed empty for some reason, she realized after her attention averted from the photos. Knowing Ash, he must be hanging out with his Pokémon at the Oak's Laboratory.

"Is Ash at Oak's?" Misty asked as Mrs. Ketchum closed the door and followed her inside.

At her question, the expression on Mrs. Ketchum's face turned dim. "Actually Misty," she said, a hint of melancholy in her tone. "Ash has already left for Kalos."

"Kalos?" Misty's eyes widened. A new region already? And worse, this one was much far away than Unova was.

"I'm sorry I should've called," she apologized. "But he left suddenly. Even I didn't know about it till last night."

To say that she was feeling disappointed was an understatement. It meant that she wasn't going to see him for one more year. Oh damn, why the stupid Wallace Cup should be around the same time Ash visited Kanto.

"It's okay Mrs. Ketchum," her lips broke into a wry smile. "I can always meet him next year."

Delia's face brightened at this. "I will make sure you meet him next year," the woman said, with an expression of determination.

More than herself, Misty realized as she saw the slight sorrow in Mrs. Ketchum's eyes, she must be missing Ash much more. Ash was her world and perhaps the mother's only family and even she would get only two or three days to watch him in a year. Even in his brief stay Ash was hardly at home and spent most time with his older Pokémon like Totodile, Bulbasaur and Bayleef.

As she travelled back to Cerulean City, she began pondering about herself again. She has been excited since the day she saw the Unova League's ending ceremony. She wanted to hear more about Ash's adventures in Unova, see his new Pokémon and tease him a bit about being thickheaded. It was her way to say that he hasn't changed much in the years and was still the same ten year old boy who badly wanted to be a Pokémon Master. But what if he did change? He was a lot different when she saw him in the Sinnoh League and much more different person when she saw him in the Unova League. It was as if she was seeing a complete stranger. Yes she was familiar with Kanto Ash, she knows the Johto Ash well but she only had a faint idea about the Ash who travelled with May, and absolutely nothing about the Ash who travelled with Dawn and Iris. It was as if he was slowly drifting apart from her into a total stranger.

Maybe she should go to Kalos too, Misty considered. But then she would have to entrust the gym to someone else. Yes, there were some good candidates among her newly appointed gym assistants. But that would zero all the progress she had done in three years. She was slowly growing important in the PLA. Inspector Joy had even recommended her to the Wallace Cup.

Oh geez, getting invited by Wallace himself was an honor and she was cursing that over not seeing Ash for once? Her priorities were messed up. She could always see Ash next year, but the invitation she had was a one-time thing to up her career.

_'I'll definitely meet you next year,'_ she thought firmly. _'And I will definitely catch up to you.'_

* * *

**Present**

_"What an amazing move! Ketchum's tactic to use Quick Attack to finish things is brilliant! One down for the Elite Four!"_

Misty stood dazed. The move she just saw was brilliant enough to put her in a deep shock. The little rodent that was seemed hopeless against her Golduck managed to defeat Golduck right after two moves. A Quick Attack to avoid her Psychic, followed by a Volt Tackle from the sky.

The man standing before him. He was brilliant and completely unlike any opponent she faced in her life. Golduck was her strongest Pokémon, only next to Gyarados. She had always used Golduck to fight electric type Pokémon. That was how she always won against most challengers who assume having a Pokémon with a type advantage would be enough to defeat her.

"Good Job Golduck," she muttered as she took the Pokéball. The rodent which managed to disgrace her Golduck turned back and jumped into its trainer arms. He danced with the Pokémon as if he was a ten year old kid. His face carried genuine happiness without any malice.

He didn't change much in the years.

She gritted her teeth once more. Damn, this was completely unlike her. She was losing her composure. It was as if she was falling apart into the hotheaded Misty people remembered years ago.

She closed her eyes, calming her nerves. She was not the hotheaded Gym Leader of Cerulean anymore. She was the Saffron Princess, the Mermaid of Cerulean, a member of the Elite Four. She looked at her reflection to remind herself of the fact. Yes, being an Elite Four member meant designing yourself to match your titles. That was why she had to grow her hair to justify the title 'Saffron Princess' and she wore a light blue knee-length skirt to look like the fabled Mermaid of Cerulean City.

Since when did she fret over her appearances? Yes, that was quite a long time ago. That was when she was planning to visit Ash on his return from Kalos region.

* * *

**One year since she last missed Ash before he went to Kalos….**

**Misty Waterflower: 17 Years Old**

**Cerulean Gym Leader**

Misty was excited. Mrs. Ketchum had called her a few minutes earlier saying that Ash has returned back from Kalos. Delia had specifically arranged a get-together for all of Ash's friends. The main purpose of this was so that she could meet with Ash considering that it already had been three years since she saw him for real and not on television. Maybe Ash's mother felt guilty on behalf of her son. She wished that it was Ash and not his mother who tried to approach her.

But it can't be helped. Right now, the only things in his mind were becoming a Pokémon Master and see new Pokémon, explore the unknown places. Even Brock said that he missed Ash and was barely in touch with him. It couldn't be helped that the regions he chose were going increasingly farther from Kanto. It takes seven hours of flight to reach Kalos.

She checked her appearance before the mirror. Yep, as simple as always. Short hair, yellow vest, blue shorts and nothing much special. She wasn't obsessed about her appearance like her sisters. There were a lot of things that mattered about a woman than just looks. Besides, having a long hair was annoying and she would rather pick a simple dress than wear ones with complex designs that would be extremely uncomfortable to wear.

She walked out of her room. "Daisy," the redhead yelled as she tied her hair up with a band. "I'm going to Pallet. Can you take care of the gym for me?"

"Pallet," the blond-haired appeared from her room upstairs. She rested on the railings of the stairs and said dreamily, "Ah, to meet your young love, isn't it? How long has it been? Like—Four years?"

"Three," Misty corrected, looking down slightly red from embarrassment. "And it's not like that, okay?" She said, giving her sister a defiant glare. "Ash is just a…" she paused. "Friend."

The older woman however brushed it away with a smile, "Six years and you are still in denial." She sighed, "You're like—seventeen now Misty. You need to make a move already!"

Misty put a grumpy expression at her sister's comment. Leave it to Daisy to take things too far. "Anyway, anything I need to take for Tracey?"

"No," she waved to emphasize so. "The last time I gave you that box of chocolates you lost it somewhere in Mt. Moon. I'm not going to trust you when you are about to visit Ash."

Uggh, why did she have to accidentally drop that box just when she was going to Pallet? It did worse to the fact that her sisters were already hounding over her feelings on Ash.

Ding-Dong!

The sudden chime of the doorbell brought her back to attention. She looked at Daisy wondering who could be visiting them at this time in the afternoon. The blonde woman looked equally clueless.

It could be Lily or Violet. Both of them moved in with their boyfriends but occasionally visit Cerulean. The redhead walked up to the door and opened only to find a familiar young boy standing at their door step.

"Ken?" Misty was surprised, seeing one of her gym assistants at her house. Ken was thirteen, and an aspiring water Pokémon master just like her. He even took the Gym Leader examinations and failed twice. Battling Inspector's Joy's Latias to prove your talent was a tough thing.

"Misty, we have a big problem!" The boy exclaimed, his face full of panic.

Misty's expression changed into a frown. "What happened?"

"The PLA has come for a special inspection," he said, shifting his weight unable to stand still. "They said they'll close the gym if we fail the inspection."

"That's ridiculous," Misty yelled. "We just renewed the license one month ago. They can't just drop whenever they want." Technically they can, but still coming within one month of the yearly inspection was silly.

"Anyway," Ken said, "You need to come, right now!"

**Ten minutes later…**

Misty's house was a five minute walk away from the gym. While the gym was practically her home, Daisy preferred it in their mansion over the gym. And because Misty was extremely bad at cooking, she was forced to do stay with her sister.

"Inspector Joy," Misty called out the woman in black suit waiting outside the gym with a couple of other important looking men. "What's happening?"

"Misty," Inspector Joy said in an apologetic tone. "We've received complaint that your Gym is using unsanitary water for your Pokémon." The pink-haired woman had a paper in her hands.

"You gotta be kidding me," she said, taking the paper. "Do you really believe this?" And here she had the opinion that Inspector Joy was warming up to her after the help she did for Wallace Cup.

"I don't," the woman said firmly. "But I'm not the only person who was dragged here. Someone is trying to tarnish your reputation. The complaint was a level-7 danger complaint."

"Meaning?" She didn't know what that meant.

"The petitioner claimed that his Pokémon's health was severely affected from taking in the water in your gym. If things go wrong you could even be arrested."

Misty wanted to tear the paper into pieces. Why the heck would her gym's water do something to someone else's Pokémon when her own Pokémon were perfectly fine? The petitioner whoever he was clearly lacked common sense or must have some deep grudge on her.

And that would include many people. She wasn't in fact a pleasant person when people insulted her Pokémon. There were a couple of incidents where she lashed out at a challenger and prohibited from entering her gym. But most people who came from Viridian were snobby and unfortunately they believed her gym was the easiest to beat thanks to the reputations her sisters created.

"Anyway," the Inspector said, "It's not a big issue. They'll just perform a few tests. If your water is clean, there's nothing to worry about."

"I'm not worried about that," Misty said. "I have somewhere to go. Can my sister look after things while I'm gone?"

"Misty," the Inspector frowned. "I trust you, and I know you are working hard to become a Water Pokémon Master. The people here are one of the most important officials in PLA," she said pointing out to the men who were waiting for her and Joy. "I told some good things about you. This is the chance to up your game. You can't find a better time to impress people about how responsible you are."

It made sense. These people didn't know about her and blindly trusted her on Inspector Joy's words. If she were to leave at a time like this, they might assume that she didn't care much about the gym and wasn't taking her job seriously. That's basically digging her own grave.

"Fine," she didn't need much convincing. Four years of her career was at stake. Meeting someone who hardly made any attempts to do the same was stupid. If she missed Ash, then he should miss her too. If he couldn't accommodate a day for her, then what was the point in her cycling all the way through a road infested with bug Pokémon to just speak to him?

The inspection took up her entire evening. The officers conducted almost all kinds of microbiological tests possible. They analyses the samples under a microscope, they measured the TDS, and they even brought a Spectrophotometer to analyze the samples. They even tried many tests to check for poisonous content in the water. In the end, nothing came up. Whoever this person was, they simply wanted to ruin her day.

The inspection turned beneficial to her. She personally talked to each of the officers and explained about the various measures she took to keep the gym's water clean. She even had her Pokémon show that they were perfectly fine with the water. The reports were convincing and she didn't miss the chance to flabbergast about certain people who were envious of her progress. She explained how she badly wanted to be the strongest Water Pokémon trainer and that meant defeating Wallace. The first step to challenge him of course was that she had to become a member of an Elite Four.

**Later that night…**

"You did an excellent job," Inspector Joy said on the phone later that night. "My colleagues were talking about you all the while during our way back to Viridian."

"Really?" Misty wanted to jump in happiness but was not in the mood to. Instead, her face carried a plain expression.

"What's with that reaction?!" The officer exclaimed obviously excited for both of them. "Do you even know what this means? You're pretty much close to being an Elite Four."

"Thanks, Joy," she said, trying her best to put up a good smile, but she couldn't. "I'm sorry," her voice was getting weaker. "I'll talk later," she said, abruptly cutting the connection.

The redhead closed her eyes, attempting to hold back the tears that were forcing themselves out. She slumped against the wall next to the phone, and collapsed to the ground, curling herself in a fetal position.

Just before Inspector Joy called, she was checking the phone. There were about twenty missed calls on her phone, all of them from Pallet Town. She called them back only to find a mildly angry Mrs. Ketchum on the other side. Misty apologized to the older woman and said she was caught up in some Gym work. That was when Delia broke the news.

Ash had already left for the next region.

Words weren't enough to describe the amount of sadness that engulfed her at that moment. The number three just rose to four. She didn't even know why she was crying at that moment. Yes, Ash was just a friend and she hadn't seen him in three years. So what was the big deal? It's common for people to part ways. Wasn't it? Maybe that's how they were meant to be. Maybe they were meant to be childhood friends. Then why was she feeling so sad about it? What was this heavy feeling in her chest?

"Misty," she felt someone standing before her.

It was Daisy whose eyes were eyes were full of concern. Looking at her sister like that, Misty couldn't hold the barrier of a tough girl anymore. She jumped into her sister's arms. She found herself crying on her shoulders as Daisy comforted her like their mother used to. "Oh you poor thing," Daisy patted her back as she continued to let out the sorrow in her heart. "It's okay, I understand how you feel."

"I'm losing him," Misty said, her voice shook as she hiccupped. "He doesn't even care for me anymore."

"Oh Misty," Daisy tried rubbing the tears, "Ash isn't that kind of a guy. He's just…"

"Obsessed with his stupid goal," she finished. He didn't even bother to call her once in these years. While she waited for a whole year just so that she could see him, he jumped at the sight of new Pokémon forgetting everything else. Yes, that was the kind of guy she liked…that was the first time she confessed it to herself.

"Look Misty," Daisy smiled, "If you want to be with…" she quickly corrected herself. "I mean travel with Ash again. I will take up the gym."

A smile crept on her face amidst her tears. Her sister knew she was in constant denial from the start and even now she was correcting herself for Misty.

"I'm not a little baby anymore," she rubbed her eyes. Her voice slowly gained her usual toughness. "I like him and I want to be with him."

There was a sense of relief in Daisy's eyes. That was perhaps the first time she confessed it without denying it. "So," the blond began to speak. "I'll send a letter—"

She wasn't finished yet. "But there are much more important things in my life."

She rose to her feet, her sister followed the same albeit with a confused expression on her face. "What do you mean?" Daisy's question seemed like she has already guessed what was in her mind.

"Right now," Misty said, "I'm only a few more steps away from being an Elite Four. All I need to do is stay put and be a good gym leader. "

Yes, it would take her years before she became an Elite Four but she was at least on the right track. This was the shortest and perhaps the only path she could follow to reach her dream. As much as she liked being with Ash, she couldn't just throw her entire career and all the hard work she had put till now into the gutter just so that she could spend some time with him. Besides it was an insult to her self-esteem if she would throw her goal away for Ash while he was obviously not trying anything on his end.

She wasn't some desperate fan girl who needs his attention and couldn't live without him. She was fine without him and she'll be fine without him. All she needs was some time to heal her.

**The next day**

After that terrible night, Misty called Dawn for some reason. The Sinnoh Coordinator said she would visit Kanto after the Wallace Cup. She guessed Dawn would be in Ash's reunion party and to her luck she managed to catch her on the Viridian City's Pokémon Center.

A few hours later, Dawn was in Cerulean City and was right now standing before her.

"It's been a long time," she pulled her in a light hug. "Well Dawn," Misty said, as she took the coordinator for a brief tour through her gym. "Thanks for coming today."

"It's my pleasure," Dawn replied with a smile. "You know, yesterday would have been more fun if you were around."

Misty remained impassive to her comment. She neither spoke anything nor tried to show any feelings. Daisy was annoying her already. She was constantly trying to please her while throwing sympathetic dialogues. Her sister was only trying to comfort her, but Misty wished she could try a few less obvious methods. So, breaking herself in front of Dawn wouldn't exactly help with her issues.

"Ash kept mentioning you," Dawn, who was oblivious to Misty's reactions, continued.

"That's good," she said, just to break the monotone. She knew Dawn was saying all this just so that she wouldn't feel bad about missing yesterday's reunion. She didn't care if Ash mentioned her in some random conversation. She wanted him to spend a day with her. Then maybe she could consider forgiving him.

Dawn blinked at Misty for a second. Maybe she was finally catching that something was wrong. But then she broke into her giggle again, "When I said I'll be going through Viridian Forest to reach Pewter, Ash told how you clung onto him throughout the forest because you were afraid of bugs. I never knew you were scared of bugs."

That jerk! She didn't cling onto him, she was _accompanying _him. Well yes, maybe she was a little scared of bugs, but it wasn't like she held onto him the whole time throughout the journey. He was twisting facts to gloat around.

"Anyway," Misty said, a bit curtly. "I want to talk about something more important. Not about what some goof talked about me."

"Oh," the blunette was mildly surprised. "Of course what is it?"

"I'm planning to become a member of the Elite Four," Misty said, the frown on her face settling down. "Well, I still have a long way to go but after seeing Wallace, I realized keeping up appearances for the public is important."

"Of course," Dawn said, banging her fist against her palm. "Someone who needs to be one of the elite four needs to have a good image. People generally tend to put a lot of focus on celebrities. So, it's important to put up an image from them."

"That's why," Misty smiled. "I was planning to put more focus on my looks and…" she hesitated, her ego was slightly hurting her but the fact remains that Dawn was better at dressing up.

"You want me to help you out?" The blunette smiled. "That's really simple, no need to worry!"

* * *

**Present**

Misty was slightly unnerved by the Pikachu's force. It was strong without a doubt and a very tough opponent to handle. The smirk on her face returned as she took out her next Pokéball. "This battle is just beginning," she muttered to herself. "Rise from the raging waters," she said tossing the Pokéball. "Swampert!"

With a loud roar, the mud fish Pokémon materialized from the Pokéball and landed into the pool with a huge splash.

_"Misty's second Pokémon is Swampert! A ground type Pokémon against which Pikachu's electric attacks won't work!"_

"What are you going to do now?" She asked, with a smirk on her face. "Challenger."

The smile on the man's face disappeared when she addressed him as 'Challenger'. He was visibly hurt, she noticed. But she didn't care. He was just another challenger for Elite Four Misty, and nothing more.

"Pikachu pi," the rodent growled sadly, looking at her, a ruthless woman who crushed its trainer's feelings.

"Swampert," she commanded without regard. "Let's show them the power of a water type, Earthquake!"

She shouldn't show any mercy to her opponents. That's how an Elite Four should be. That's how she should be!

* * *

**Three Years after the day she cried because she couldn't visit Ash...**

**Misty Waterflower**

**Age: Twenty Years old.**

**Cerulean Gym Leader**

Time does all heal wounds. In three years Misty completely forgot about Ash or at least she tried her best doing so. He would occasionally haunt her in her dreams and that would be one messed up day for her and especially for the people who try to challenge her for a badge. Her anger rivaled a Gyarados.

He did call her the next time he came back to Kanto. However it was Misty who didn't answer the phone this time. Ash invited her to Pallet Town, obviously after his mother reminded him of course, but she had Daisy answer the phone and made it clear that she was busy.

It wasn't a lie either. As Misty's reputation as a Gym Leader rose, she did become increasingly busy. She built up a good image in the PLA and was constantly being invited to many of the local events in Cerulean City, water type exclusive events like the Whirl Cup in Johto, as a judge for water Pokémon Contests despite her minimal knowledge about them.

That was also when she received a call from Inspector Joy.

"You are in luck Misty," the Inspector said, they were speaking on the videophone. "The Johto department is planning to separate from the Kanto department. Not to mention, Agatha and Lorelei are retiring for personal reasons. There will be six open Elite Four spots pretty soon."

"Six?!" Misty exclaimed. Six was a huge number. Then it could mean that… "I have a good chance of making it in?"

"Pretty much," the Inspector said, giving her a victory smile. "The real movement will begin in three years. The PLA is planning a tournament for only Gym Leaders. The ones with good credentials will make it into the Elite Four irrespective of their home region."

_'Amazing,'_ Misty thought. This was a golden opportunity. Heck, this would be the first and the last time six Elite Four posts would be open. If she failed now, the chances of her becoming one would be non-existent.

"When is the tournament?" Misty asked, excited.

"Two years from now," the Inspector said with a coy smile. "I'm giving you confidential information, Misty. The PLA won't disclose this to the gym leaders till next year. I'm giving you a one year head start."

"And I'm grateful for that," Misty felt jubilant. What did she do to deserve such a wonderful favor from Inspector Joy?

"You know Misty," the pink-haired woman said, "Back when we came to inspect your gym I heard from your sister that you were going to meet an important friend. I heard that it was going to be your first meeting in three years." Misty's face became crestfallen. That was also when she cried…for the last time in her life. "But you've put your goal above that. A person like you deserves to be an Elite Four."

"It's nothing," she said, although she could feel her fortress breaking again. She tried to forget the disappointment she faced that day. But it was coming back to her, drowning her into the abyss of sorrow. "I'm lucky to know a kind person like you, Joy." But she didn't want to drown in that. She was very happy now. Her goal was more or less clear at the moment. She had to do well in the upcoming Gym leader's tournament, become an Elite Four and then challenge the strongest Water Pokémon trainer and then….

* * *

**Present**

"Pikachu is unable to battle," the referee raised his flag. "Swampert wins."

The Cerulean Mermaid brushed her saffron hair as she stood proud with a victorious smirk on her face and her emerald eyes throwing the opponent a remark that he was lackluster. Her posture was enough to destroy the challenger's spirit to fight back. A confidence like that was possible only for an Elite Four.

But…

The stranger's confidence never wavered. It was as if he was a ton of confidence that can't be moved no matter how much she swayed him. He lost his strongest Pokémon pretty early in the battle and he was still smiling.

"The real battle hasn't begun yet," he muttered the clichéd words as he tossed his next Pokéball onto the platform. "Meganium, I choose you!"

An immensely heavy Pokémon materialized out of the Pokéball, shaking the entire platform it landed on. The Pokémon let out a battle cry that mirrored its trainer's confidence.

"Meganium, let's show them how strong you are!"

A Grass type to defeat a water and ground type…the stranger actually used some brain. But a type advantage alone won't defeat her Pokémon. If they did, she would have still been the same gym leader from Cerulean. The Gym Leaders tournament that took place two years ago was a testament to that.

* * *

**Two Years after Inspector Joy's phone call.**

**Misty Waterflower**

**Age: Twenty Two Years old.**

**Gym Leader's Tournament: Participant.**

For two years, she had trained hard. Misty put a bar on her gym that only those with six badges or above could challenge her. A rule like that was perfectly in accordance with the PLA if she was worthy enough in their eyes. There was talk among the trainer's that the Cerulean Gym was the strongest Gym in Kanto, next only to Koga's Gym. Putting the badge limit gave her more time to train and tougher trainers to fight.

And now she was more than confident that she could win the tournament. If she were to be the strongest Gym Leader, become an Elite Four would be a piece of cake.

Misty was currently sitting along with the other Gym Leaders who were being summoned one after the other to decorate the stage.

_"And presenting the next participant. The Gym Leader of Orange Islands, Rudy!"_

Her heart stopped for a second. Did she hear it right? Misty shifted her attention to the person walking into the arena. It was him…

The auburn-haired man looked as princely ever. He walked into the stadium waving to the crowd who roared in response to his presence. He walked up to the podium where she was assembled along with the rest of the Gym Leaders. When he was about to take his seat, he gave her a brief glance and smiled.

The tournament began shortly after the opening ceremony. Misty was pitted against Flannery, another tough gym leader albeit a fire type trainer. She won the battle without batting an eye. Flannery was good, but not only did Misty train hard for the tournament she had an overwhelming type advantage.

Rudy won his own round one battle without a hassle. He was a multi-type specialist and had an upper hand over all gym leaders. His opponent was Pastoria's Crasher Wake who fell prey to his Electivire's dazzling performance.

They met right after his battle. It was an unavoidable encounter.

"Misty," Rudy brushed his hair. "Your beauty multiplied over the years."

The redhead couldn't help but blush at the remark. Well, she did spend a decent amount of time in front of the mirror. "Thanks," she said, "I never expected to see you here."

"The Orange Crew is a part of PLA too," he remarked. "I've been hearing great things about you. Heard you're one of the top favorites."

She blinked at this, "I never knew." It was a good world to live in when you realize your popularity kept creeping up.

The two of them sat by the stands, watching the other matchups in the tournament. The Gym Leaders were all good, and lived up to their names. Each battle deserved praise, the crowd kept buzzing in excitement.

"So," Rudy asked after a brief silence between them. "I thought you'd be travelling with Ash. Why the change of plans?"

Not again, Misty sighed. Why do people she knew always mention Ash when they meet? It was as if his name was some kind of Haunter who'd never leave your side no matter how you run away from him.

"I've an obligation to be a gym leader," she said. "I can't exactly travel with him forever." They had to part at some point or the other.

"I guess," Rudy said, observing her as she spoke. She was slightly uncomfortable with his gaze, but ignored it by shifting her attention to the battle between Volkner and Erika. "I'm glad, then." He broke suddenly.

"Huh," she looked at him, confused by his words.

"It means you're still available right?" He smiled, brushing his hair again. "Ash's a fool," he said after a pause. "If I were in his place, I'll do anything for a beautiful woman like you."

The redhead however snapped at this. "Will you quit being a Gym Leader for me?" Misty asked brusquely.

"Ah," Rudy was taken aback by the curt question. "Misty…"

A smile crept across her face. "You're hesitating Rudy," she said. "You said you would do anything for me. And I didn't receive an answer to my question yet."

The auburn-haired gritted his teeth. Was he angry at her or himself? She wasn't sure. "Listen Rudy," she said standing up. "Everyone has their own dreams. Ash wants to become a Pokémon Master. He probably doesn't me value as much as that dream. But it's fine." She paused, placing a hand on her hip. "That's because I have my own dream. I know where this conversation will lead to and…" She paused to study his stunned expression. "I'm not going to accept your proposal. Not because I don't like you or something. It's just that I have other priorities." She turned around and said, "Goodbye." And stormed off from the arena.

Did she overreact? Yes. Did she care? No.

Why did she become defensive of Ash? Maybe because she knew despite the fact that he trampled her heart, Ash wasn't the kind of person who would knowingly hurt anyone. And more importantly, the closer she came to reach her dream the more she understood what it was like to be obsessed by a goal. She could understand why Ash forgot her over the years. But would she forgive him for it? Never.

**Five days later…**

_"The Semi-Finals of the Gym Leaders Tournament is coming is underway! Misty has lost two of her Pokémon and is right now cornered. Volkner on the other hand has all three of his Pokémon intact."_

The three-on-three battle was a disaster to Misty. Volkner was the strongest Gym Leader of Sinnoh and top of that he was an electric type specialist. He was rumored to be strong enough to beat Elite Four. She had used a ground type Quagsire and part-grass type Ludicolo as a strategy to beat him. While Quagsire fell to Raichu's Grass Knot, Ludicolo fell to Jolteon's Pin Missile and powerful Thunder.

She was left with her newly evolved Golduck facing his strongest Pokémon, Luxray.

"Luxray," Volkner commanded the ferocious Pokémon. "Thunderbolt!"

"Golduck," Misty was down to her last Pokémon, but she was far from giving up. "Use Disable!"

The thunderbolt never came. Misty's strategy worked. Her dumb Psyduck turned out to be her trump card. "Golduck, use Psychic!"

The next attack completely controlled Luxray and lifted high up into the air. The Pokémon's only chance to fight back was a long range move which was already disabled. "Finish it with Hydropump!"

A Psychic that left the Pokémon dangling in the air, and a quick Hydropump to finish the Pokémon before it could even land on the ground. The strategy was picture perfect. The Luxray crashed on the other end of the stadium, unconscious.

"Luxray is unable to battle," the referee announced. "Golduck Wins!"

_"Astounding! Volkner's strongest electric type fell to a water type!"_

Right after Luxray fell, Volkner sent out Jolteon once more and finished the battle thanks to Jolteon's brilliant speed. She lost 0-2, but her Golduck taking out Luxray became a monumental moment in her life.

Volkner proceeded to win the tournament after that. But the PLA officials didn't need much more convincing. Two years later, she was declared the Water type Elite Four replacing Lorelei Prima who specialized in Water and Ice.

**Two years after the Gym Leader's tournament…**

**One month before Present.**

**Misty Waterflower**

**Twenty Four years Old.**

**Elite Four, Indigo League.**

After receiving the official confirmation letter that she was now 'Elite Four Misty', the redhead decided to celebrate things by hosting a part at the Cerulean Gym.

"And with that," Daisy said, setting the envelope in her hand amongst a heap of others. "I've completed the list of officials you want to invite."

"Good," Misty smiled. "Now that leaves the list of friends."

Friends…she wasn't even sure she could even call them so anymore. She was barely in touch with Brock and Dawn because she needed her, but she was absolutely out of contact with May and Max and she met Cilan and Iris only once and that too in the Gym Leader's Tournament because Iris was a participant. Apparently they recognized her thanks to Ash mentioning her name and the lure that looked like her. She didn't even know the rest of his friends. Then there was Tracey, but he didn't count as a guest because Daisy put him up in the arrangement works. If only Ash helped her out too with the arrangements too…

"I need names," Daisy said, rolling her eyes at her absent-minded sister.

Misty tapped her lips, "Brock, May, Max, Iris, Cilan and a special invitation to Dawn. That's it."

"That's it?" Daisy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't we like—missing someone important?"

"Ash Ketchum," Misty smiled taking out an envelope. "Already done."

The older sister was absolutely surprised. "Wow," she didn't know what to say.

"It's not like he's going to come anyway," Misty sighed, arranging all the invitation cards in order. "Thought I would put the guilt aside and wrote his name first. I'm not a bitch, you know."

"I never said you are," Daisy laughed, wondering how her sister's brain worked.

**Three days later…**

A huge gathering of hundred people assembled at the Cerulean Gym on occasion of the party. For the first time in her life Misty had to play the gracious host. Luckily Lily, Violet and Daisy had enough experience on such things. The fabled Cerulean Mermaid simply had to greet all the people who had come for her. Somehow even that seemed like a daunting task to her. But by then, Misty had perfected the art of putting up a fake personality. She wasn't the hotheaded, easy to infuriate Misty anymore or so she believed. She was the calm and collected Elite Four Misty of Kanto.

She was dressed in a light blue sleeveless dress, and a pearl necklace that matched with it. The long hair that she let loose extended down till her hips.

She was speaking to Prima, the woman whom she was going to replace. Prima was Misty's Guest of Honor along with Inspector Joy. "Being an Elite Four can be tiring," the woman laughed as she took a sip of her drink. "I'll miss being Lorelei, but if it means I can spend more time on my lectures it isn't bad right?"

"I suppose," Misty said with a smile. "I'll do my best and live up to your name."

Prima scoffed at this, "I wasn't even much serious with my job. But Misty, I think being an Elite Four is just a stepping stone to you."

To defeat Wallace, yes.

"Thought so," the woman smiled, reading her expression. "You've gotten a lot confident over the years and you are putting up a nice image for the people too…" Prima paused. "But Misty, don't get lost in your fake personality. Be yourself."

"I'll make sure to remember that," Misty said, not considering the words seriously at that moment.

"Well," Prima said, adjusting her glasses. "I'll leave you to your friend now," she said, walking onto another group.

Friend?

Misty turned around to find a familiar face smiling at her face.

"Misty," Brock greeted her with a small hug. "Congratulations!"

Brock hadn't changed much in appearance. He was slightly taller than when she last saw him. But including the squint eyes, everything else remained the same. Although, he had a small beard sticking out on his chin. It was a failed attempt at French Beard.

"Thanks for coming Brock," she smiled at him. She looked behind, and found a small five-year old boy who had a face that was similar to Brock's.

"Aww he's cute," Misty said taking the rather shy boy into her arms. "Is this your kid?"

Brock put a sorrowful expression at that. "I don't have a girlfriend yet," he said, dejected.

Oh, the poor guy. Wait…does that mean?

"He's my newest brother," Brock said, with an awkward expression on his face.

Their parents were still at it? She was surprised. Seriously, someone should talk to them about family planning.

"So, where is everyone else?" Misty asked, searching around for more of her friends.

"They're on the other side," Brock pointed at the other end of the gym hall. There were quite a number of people that she couldn't actually see anything. "Let's go meet them."

"Sure," she said. As they made their way towards the farther end of the gym, she asked, "Did he come?"

Brock frowned at the question. The answer was a no. Good thing she didn't expect any better. Well she at least threw him an invitation. It was his fault now.

"He's in a faraway continent right now," Brock answered after some hesitation. "He hasn't come back home in three years."

_'Three Years?!'_

"I see," she muttered. He wasn't home in three years? Just how far would he go? Had she continued to keep her hopes on him like she did back then, she could have been the most miserable girl ever. It was a good thing she renounced him away from her life.

"But he'll be back soon," Brock said.

She didn't say aloud that she doesn't care anymore. He should have figured it by now.

Brock chuckled despite her lack of response. "He's coming to challenge you, Misty."

Misty froze. "What?" She asked him befuddled.

"You don't know yet?" Brock smiled, "He's challenging the Kanto Elite Four at last. He's talking the last leg of his journey to be a Pokémon Master."

Kanto…Elite Four….oh, that means she would have to battle Ash. Of course, she should have expected it to happen. In order for a trainer to participate in the Champion's League he should beat the Elite Four of his home region. Ash needs to beat the newly appointed Kanto Elite Four so that he could participate in the biggest challenge ever: The Champion's League.

**Later that night….**

What Brock said left Misty puzzled. How should she react when she sees Ash? They haven't seen each other in ten years. Yes, the first three times were bad coincidences but the rest seven were as a result of her avoiding him completely. Thinking about it now, it did seem a bit silly. Was he really at fault if she couldn't make it to the reunion.

But, another side of her mind said. He should have tried contacting her if she tried avoiding him. Then maybe she wouldn't have continued to avoid him.

_'But he called you many times and every time you let Daisy let the phone!'_ The first side argued.

Okay, so he called….was she supposed to be grateful for it? How hard is it to make a phone call? He should have come to Cerulean if he was really worried for her. He didn't come, it was his fault!

_'How could he come to Cerulean when you spend the days he stayed in Kanto, somewhere else?'_

Then he could have called Daisy and asked where she was. Daisy would have definitely told him where she would be. She was only pretending to be busy half of the time.

_'But what if he thought you were really busy? He's too simple-minded. He can't understand your stupid deceptions.'_

All of these are stupid excuses to justify Ash! If he really likes her and misses her and if he was really worried about her then he could have done _something _to remedy the situation.

_'Why would he be worried about you when he doesn't even know what's going on in _your _mind? You are hurt because you like him and miss him. How the hell should he know something was wrong with you when he doesn't how you feel? The poor guy mightn't even figure out that you are avoiding him on purpose.'_

If he's that much of a moron, then why the heck should she care about him? If he can't figure out that a person has been missing from his life for ten years, then he should know something was wrong.

Ash might be innocent, but even naïve people can damage hearts. She was a perfect example for that. If she simply forgets everything that happened in these ten years, then there was no meaning to the anguish she felt. There was no meaning to the night she cried. There was no meaning for all those days she avoided all of her other friends to avoid Ash. There was no meaning in her becoming cold-hearted enough to reject Rudy before he even proposed her.

There was no meaning to what she was now either, because it was these ten years that shaped her into an Elite Four.

_'Once again, you are distancing him because of your ego.'_

And her ego was justified.

* * *

**The Day….**

"Fifteen minutes more till your battle starts Ms. Waterflower," her newly appointed manager noted as she entered the stadium complex. Normally she was expected to be at the arena two hours in advance. But Misty came only fifteen minutes in advance. Two hours would be too much opportunity for Ash to talk with her.

"The challenger is already here," she said as Misty walked into her dressing room. "He's really excited for the battle. He told me he wants to meet you the moment you arrive."

"And what did you say?" Misty asked, as she applied the last-minute make-up. Her hair, yep perfect. The lipstick, yep not bad either. Her eyelashes—

"I informed him that you've arrived," the manager said, a business smile on her face. "He's on his way."

"What?" Misty looked at her as if she just allowed a bug type into her bed. "Why are you giving appointments without my permission?"

The woman stuttered, obviously not expecting the reaction. "It isn't much of an appointment ma'am."

"Look," she said, curtly. "You need to ask _me_ when someone asks to meet _me. _I don't care what you do, stall him before he gets here!"

"MISTY!"

Damn!

The woman swiveled her head towards the entrance. A raven-haired man stood at the entrance, heaving for breath as he seemed to have run all the way from the other end of the arena.

He was the guy she wanted to avoid the most. But fate decided that she had to battle it. Despite that she tried to avoid him. She was late only so that she could avoid him. And now with ten more minutes left for the battle, she had to face him. Thanks to this stupid manager! She sent a glare at the woman who shivered in response.

"Mr. Ketchum," the manager spoke. "Now might not be a good time—"

"Its fine," Misty cut in. Yes, there was no meaning in running away now. She'll have to deal with him directly.

The manager looked unsure. "Y-Yes, Ma'am," she said after much hesitation.

"Leave us," she said.

The raven-haired trainer looked at their interaction amusedly as if it was some new Pokémon he discovered. "Wow," he said as the manager left. "You sure scared her, Misty."

"What do you want?" She asked, as courteously as possible and that meant in a harsh tone.

He folded his arms and tilted his head, "What do you mean what I want? It's been too long since we met. Don't you have anything nice to say?"

"Sorry I ran out of them," she said, trying her best to not look away.

If she looked away from him then it meant that she had become weak. She wasn't weak. She simply doesn't like to talk to him anymore.

He didn't change, not a bit. He didn't look anything like 23. He was taller, yes. But he still had the same goofy look on his face, the same brown eyes and he's still wearing a stupid red cap over his spiky hair. But he did look a bit handsome.

He grinned at her remark, "Just like always, huh," he teased.

Why you!

Calm down, Misty! That's right, she's not the same Misty anymore. She was Elite Four Misty of Kanto.

Instead of clenching her fists and rage at him like she always did, she closed her eyes instead. "People change, Mr. Ketchum."

He raised an eyebrow, "What's with that weird way of talking Misty. You almost sound like Paul."

Paul was the guy who thrashed Ash before Ash finally caught up to him in the Sinnoh League. And as per her recent info, he began thrashing Ash again and was looking forward to kick his ass in the Champion's League. Too bad she would kick his ass first.

"Listen," she said, inching closer to the raven-haired man. "I know you can act like nothing happened. But," she was looking straight into his eyes although the fact that she had to look up to meet his eyes was annoying. "Ash Ketchum, you must understand that when two people don't meet each other for a long gap like ten years." She paused for adding the dramatic effect. "They become strangers."

With that she brushed past him, leaving the Pokémon trainer standing still in the room. She felt bad about talking to him like that but dealing it this way was better than avoiding him and leaving him clueless forever. At some point or the other it was going to affect him when he realizes it himself. Right now, she settled it by hurting him just once.

* * *

**Present.**

"Gyarados is unable to battle," The referee raised his flag. "Squirtle wins. The match winner is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

_"What a wonderful match! Ash Ketchum has managed to beat the newly appointed Elite Four member in a close match. Will he be able to continue this performance against Koga? I can't wait till next week, folks!"_

Misty looked at the Pokéball containing Gyarados as the crowd roared in response to Ash's victory. She lost her first match as an Elite Four, and yet…

She watched as Ash lifted Squirtle into the air and dance around in happiness. It was his first win against an Elite Four and he defeated her of all people. For some reason Misty was smiling at the young man dancing in happiness.

But the smile disappeared when his brown eyes finally fell on her. It was her cue to speak.

"You've done an excellent job, _challenger_. You've proved that your bond with your Pokémon is strong enough to overpower me, a member of Elite Four. I am proud to have battled someone strong like you."

Her words caused the crowd to roar in response again.

_"Misty has won the hearts of the audience with her beauty and attitude. Her first match as an Elite Four may have ended up in her losing, but I am pretty sure she can surpass her predecessor Lorelei."_

A festive atmosphere filled the stadium at that moment. But the raven-haired man who was dancing till then simply stood like a life-less doll. "Challenger huh," he muttered as he scooted his partner Pikachu into his arms. He lowered his hat as if to cover the expression on his face but she could see that his lips were pursed. "Thank you for the battle," he said before walking back.

A part of her felt sad for him, but the other part told that she suffered worse and it was meaningful for him to suffer in exchange.

"I'm a terrible person," she muttered to herself as she turned around and walked back. "You're better off without me around."

* * *

**Dressing Room**

As she was about to open the door to her dressing room, Misty's manager appeared once more. "Ms. Waterflower, someone's come to visit you. I told them I can't grant an appointment without your permission but…" she looked at the room timidly.

Misty frowned and latched the door open—

Only to find an auburn-haired woman waiting for her inside. "Misty," the woman clapped when she noticed Misty at the door. "I'm so glad to see you again!"

"Mrs. Ketchum," Misty was taken aback.

"Well I was told I needed your appointment or something," the woman hesitated, exchanging a glance with her manager. "Is it okay for me to talk to you now?"

Damn, why can't she hate these people and say no.

"Ignore her," she smiled, causing the manager's eyebrow to twitch a little. Yeah, being a manager to Misty Waterflower was impossible. "Be my guest, Mrs. Ketchum." She said requesting the older woman to sit down.

"You know Misty," she said as she took her chair. "I always wanted to visit you in these ten years." She said, her expression similar to when she apologized to her back then. "But you know, I understood that bad luck was playing with you. I didn't intervene till now because I thought knowing Ash, you and he will patch up somehow." She sighed, "But I never thought he was this hopeless when it comes into stuff like these." She scratched her hair in apology, "He actually got these qualities from me."

"You don't need to apologize for anything Mrs. Ketchum," she said softly. "Few things are bound to go down like this. I guess Ash and I are never meant to be good friends." Or something more, she didn't add.

"Misty," the woman began to protest weakly.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Ketchum." She signaled the woman to stop. "You need to stop doing this for Ash. I'll forgive him the day he comes by himself…" she paused. "Probably," she added after hesitation. "I'm not going to listen anything else on this matter from you, because you don't owe me an explanation." She turned to the manager. "Show her to her son's room."

* * *

**Time: 10:30 P.M**

**Location: Her bedroom**

"Am I doing this right?" Misty asked herself, as she looked at the ceiling. The question has been haunting her ever since her encounter with Mrs. Ketchum and Ash. Ash probably figured by now that she had avoided him on purpose. But he should also be able to understand that it was his fault…or was it totally his fault? She was acting like a selfish baby on this matter. She trusted her ego over her true emotions.

If she wants to, even at this moment she could patch up things with Ash and call it a day. All she had to do was walk up to the desk beside her, dial the number she was so familiar with and say, I'm sorry.

But her body was refusing to move. It wanted to lie down on the bed lazily, watching the cracks on the ceiling and brood over the same thing again and again.

It's true. She could simply walk up and call him, but what would that teach Ash? He'd never understand how she felt and then they'd have to talk as if nothing happened. She can't forget it. She won't be able to forgive him that easily. She was a slave to her ego and knowing about it didn't do much help either.

These thoughts won't come to her mind after today. Ash will forget who she was after the harsh treatment she gave him and she'll forget Ash. Then she could focus on her final target: Defeating Wallace and become the Queen of water Pokémon trainers. A Queen without a King that is.

Knock. Knock.

A knock on the door disturbed her thoughts. The door slightly opened, revealing her manager who Misty believed should have resigned by now because of all the pressure she put on her. "You've received a letter."

"From?" Misty asked.

"There's no name on it," she said, looking at the blank envelope. "We may have to read the subject to discern their identity."

"Okay," she said falling back onto the bed lazily. "Just read on."

She heard the sound of the envelope opening and the unfolding of a paper. "It's handwritten," the woman said. "Maybe you should read it yourself."

"Just read it," she said, lacking the energy to sit up. The battle with Ash was tiring. As much as she hated him, he was an excellent battler. It's funny how she lost her composure many a times. His offense was indeed mind-blowing like the commentator said.

"Dear Misty," the manager read. "I'm waiting for you at the Cerulean Cape. Come by twelve, and you'll have a surprise. Your secret admirer."

Misty jumped suddenly. "What?!" She exclaimed. "Are you kidding me?" She jumped for the letter and snatched it from the woman's hands.

_"Dear Misty,_

_I'm waiting for you at the Cerulean Cape. Come by twelve and you'll have a surprise._

_Your Secret Admirer."_

She read the letter again, not believing its contents. Someone called her to come by the Cerulean Cape!

Cerulean Cape!

The greatest spot in the whole world for romantics. The place where every Cerulean born girl dreamt of having their first kiss. Someone was inviting her to Cerulean Cape.

Who could it be?

Ash? It could be possible. He might be trying to make up for what had happened between them. Maybe he'll finally propose her.

Ah, that would be such a wonderful scenario. But there were two things to consider here: 1) Expecting romance from Ash's side is foolery.

2) His writing sucks. The writing in the letter, it seemed like someone actually put some effort into writing it.

So it could be someone else. But what should she do? Reject him just like she did with Rudy? What if he's someone she knew and someone she might like? She was twenty four and it was high time she went on at least one date. But what if it's one crazy stalker?

"You must calm down Ms. Waterflower," her manager tried pacifying her violent thoughts. Was her face that obvious to read? "You must approach this subject with caution. It could be someone who doesn't like you."

Misty considered that. Yes, but she wouldn't know who it was unless she goes to the Cerulean Cape. Besides she wasn't some weak girl, she was Misty Waterflower, the beautiful Cerulean…okay she was getting tired of saying it to herself again and again.

Anyway she's Misty, so she could like it.

_'Just like you handled those three brothers right?' _ The crazy Misty inside her mind teased.

"Shut up!" She yelled at herself.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" The manager jumped in fear and shut her mouth.

Uggh, Misty hit her forehead. This was really a messy day.

* * *

It was twelve in the night. The moon was up, and the sky was dark except for the glittering stars and the shining moon. The night was silent, except for the screeching of the bug Pokémon she hated with a passion.

Misty crossed the wooden bridge that connected the Cerulean City to Cerulean Cape. She had parked the bike by the bridge and decided to walk the rest of the distance.

In a way, the mood was perfect. The moon was casting pleasant silver light; the wind was gentle as if it liked playing with her hair. The Cerulean Sea's infamous tide was up, and was touching the coast of the infamous Cerulean Cape.

A few more steps up the hill and the man who called her would be waiting for her. She didn't know who it was but he had already scored marks in terms of choosing the perfect time and the perfect place.

No stupid stalker would choose such a perfect time, nor would someone with a grudge. It was certainly someone with a good romantic sense, which means it crossed out Ash too. Well, that was a bit disappointing already.

Although, she mused to herself, it was funny how she still had faith in Ash that he would do something absolutely out of his character and act romantic. It was almost as if she was a teenage girl in love who tries to expect the best from her boyfriend despite knowing his shortcomings.

She walked up the stairs towards the highest point of the Cerulean Cape. As she walked up, she noticed the silhouette of a man standing close to the sea, watching the waters that were playing against the hill.

Please be Ash, she thought.

Please don't be Rudy, she didn't want to accept him after rejecting twice. That was bad for her ego as well.

Please don't be Tracey, Daisy will kill her.

Please don't be Paul. She doesn't know who he is, but he was certainly not someone you would want as a boyfriend.

Please don't be Wallace, he's too good for her.

Please don't be the crazy guy who stalks Dawn. What was his name again? Conway?

Please don't be the guy who constantly insults Kanto on the T.V.

Please don't be Brock, because he's a—

"BROCK!"

Misty was stone-faced. Yes, the moonlight finally shed some light onto the man standing by the sea, and it turned out to be…a man in his late twenties, who was dark-skinned, and had eyes of a Makuhita.

Why the heck was Brock here?!

"Hey Misty," he greeted with a flirtatious tone he usually uses with Nurse Joy. "Surprised to see me?"

What was her reaction? Dismayed? Disappointed?

"What are you doing here?" She asked, not wanting to guess.

"What else other than wait for the love of my life?" He said taking her hand and kneeling down.

For some reason Misty could feel her cheeks become warm. Oh god why was she reacting to Brock of all people? Well yes, he did pick up a nice spot and chose the nice time. But why should it be Brock? The guy goes gaga over almost every beautiful woman in the world. Well, it feels to be good in his list but still! It's Brock!

"B—B-Brock," she stuttered. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"I suppose," he said abruptly changing his tone to normal.

"Huh," Misty's blush disappeared. "What do you mean?" A frown took its place instead.

"I was only playing around," he chuckled. "Well yes you're beautiful but you're not my type."

Oh, so now Brock was rejecting her? Alright, something must be seriously wrong with her. Maybe ditching Rudy was a bad idea.

"Then what exactly did you call me at this time in the night?" She clenched her fist and took a step forward threateningly.

Brock jumped back in fear. "C-Calm down, okay!"

"You better give me a good explanation in five seconds or I'm going to hit you with my machete," she said, folding her arms, putting a demanding expression.

"I'm surprised Misty," Brock said, while still maintaining a good distance from her. "You've dropped the personality mask you put on."

That was right. Why the heck did she slip up into the old Misty like that? Well for starters she was tired, then she had that distressing conversation with Mrs. Ketchum and there was Ash dancing all over her mind and on top of that Brock just pulled some kind of joke on her.

Uggh, had he not reverted to normal, she could have perhaps ended up being the first woman to fall to Brock's flirting in the world. She needs to visit her psychiatrist, Misty made a mental note.

"Well I suppose I was kinda disappointed," she pursed her lips, pretending to be mad. People feared her that way.

"Well, I'm taking this girl called Soledad for a date," he said. "She suggested that we go fishing and I suck at fishing."

Who was he kidding? "I know you can fish pretty well Brock," Misty narrowed her eyes at him, "I smell something fishy." She rolled her sleeves threateningly.

"W-Wait, let me explain completely!" he said dropping to his knees. "I can fish well, but I can't fish with this!" He said, picking a fishing rod from the bag that lay by his side.

Misty examined the rod and identified it immediately. "It's a Super Rod." It was a special rod that had the power to pull giant Pokémon onto the land. Normally Pokémon like Gyarados are extremely tough to fish as they are much stronger in comparison to a human. But with a Super rod one can fish a Gyarados with as much ease as a Magikarp. But yes, handling it might be difficult indeed.

"Alright," she smiled at last. "I'm still sore over that stupid prank though."

"I'm sorry," he said, scratching his hair. "But hey don't you worry. If Soledad rejects me I might—"

"Not in your dreams," she said pulling his ear. "Now let's go to the wooden bridge. It's the best place to fish."

Well, it wasn't what she expected but she could forgive Brock. Besides, it's been ages since she hung out with anyone on a non-official purpose. Yeah, she had turned into a boring old lady with no fun time over time. She had to correct that. Maybe that's what Prima meant by then.

_"Misty, don't get lost in your fake personality. Be yourself."_

"I'm glad you know," she said, as they finally arrived at the wooden bridge. Misty took her favorite spot, which was by the support staff of the bridge. "It's been ages since I had some fun."

"Yeah you seem so," Brock said, sitting beside her. "Lately, you've been this strange woman I never knew. If I hadn't known your other side, I could've actually fallen for that cool Misty you show."

"You fall for anything that's barely female," Misty criticized.

"Hey, I have some ethics too," Brock protested.

"No wonder you were hitting on me," she said, then shifted her attention to the water. "I'm not sure if we can catch anything at this time. Do you have anything like a lure?"

"Just teach me the basics," Brock told. "We don't need a lure for that."

"Alright," she said, "It's basically same like with an ordinary rod." She pitched the hook into the water. "And when a—" she paused suddenly.

"What's wrong Misty?" Brock asked, noticing her expression.

"Something's tugging the line," she said, excited. "We're in luck, Brock."

"Great," Brock said, jumping to his feet.

"Ssh," she silenced him. Yes, it wasn't just her feeling. Something was really tugging the line. It was something big she realized from the force that was attempting to yank the rod out of her grasp. "All the steps are the same. Except," she used her thumb to click a button. "You need to activate the mechanical system inside so that it can adjust to the force the Pokémon pulls you." She reeled in after that and—"You pull it out at once!" Misty exclaimed as something heavy rose from the water. But the woman's force was much more than she anticipated. The catch landed on the soft grass with a heavy thud.

"Ow, that really hurt!" It exclaimed.

Wait, what?

The redhead walked closer towards the 'thing' she caught and brought to the land. It wasn't a Magikarp or a Goldeen or a Seaking or even a Psyduck. Instead it was a familiar two legged creature that can talk English a.k.a human.

The said person landed upright on his face. He tried pulling himself straight and landed on his butt. He rubbed his head that must have hurt really badly from that terrible landing. He brushed his wet hair and put the red cap that fell away from his head when she pulled him up.

"Yo," he said, raising his hand for help. "Are you going to keep looking at me like that or will you pull me up."

Misty's mind was completely blank. What the heck was going on here? She hesitated for a second but then pulled him up to his feet.

"Ah," he rubbed his head again. "That really hurt you know. You're quite strong, miss."

He chuckled earnestly. There was no malice in his smile, no hidden intentions behind his words. He was just a plain ordinary guy. He was a few inches short of six feet; he had raven hair that was wet from being in the water. He wore a blue jacket over a white shirt with matching blue jeans.

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," he said offering his arm in a handshake, "Nice to meet you."

Misty blinked at his hand. "What's the meaning of this?" She asked.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, pretending to be confused by her question. "This is what strangers do, don't they?"

Yes. What do strangers do when they meet? They introduce each other. She didn't even know how to react. She looked at Brock for assistance. The Pokémon Doctor shrugged in response. "I don't know him. He doesn't seem shady though."

So it was their plan all along. Yes, she called him a stranger and for that reason he went through the whole effort of reenacting their first meeting. They met the same way thirteen years ago. She had fished him out accidentally expecting him to be rare water Pokémon. He was just a trainer who was desperately trying to save his Pikachu.

_'Only you…only you can respond like this to a negative remark.'_

Ash was a doodle when it comes to romance, but that was the guy she fell for. He may be dense, and maybe stupid and maybe sometimes too arrogant but he was still this strange guy who's always loved by those around him.

"Well Miss," he said, not taking his hand down despite her hesitation. "My aim is to become a Pokémon Master and I'm planning to challenge the Kanto Elite Four and Champion's League. I'm short on friends right now. So will you be my friend and cheer me instead?"

"No," she said, swatting his arm away. "There are two things people do when they meet strangers. One, they shake hands and become friends." She turned around, "Two, they ignore each other and walk away."

Life's not that simple, it doesn't have a reset button. It's not a joke to hit the button so that it could cover any mistake the person had made. Maybe she could tolerate it for small mistakes. But this was a big one. If he thinks she could just forget by starting from the scratch, he was only making a fool of himself.

"Wait Miss," he yelled, trying to follow her. "Now don't be so rude."

"Stop following me," she exclaimed back. "Unless you want your league license cancelled and the rest of your life behind the bars."

"But Misty," he tried to protest albeit weakly. "Why can't you forgive me?"

"Because," she said, clenching her fists. Things that have been buried in her mind for ages surfaced back. Those were painful emotions that were strong enough to even make _her _cry_. _Painful memories that she had desperately tried to forget over the years. They were all coming back as if all her efforts were just a joke.

_'Ash has already left to Sinnoh!'_

_'We thought it was a vacation, but he's decided to travel Unova.'_

_'You should have come, Misty. He's already gone to Kalos by now.'_

"Every year," her voice shook, letting out the emotions that were locked down underneath the fake Misty she created. "Each and every damn year it's the same! Ash has already left! Ash has already left! Ash has already left! Just how many more times did you want me to hear that?"

Ash was honestly dumbfounded. His face was blank, unable to find any reasonable answer to her question. He was blank. He doesn't have an answer for what he did.

"I couldn't take it anymore!" She said, not fighting the tears that broke the dam she built over her emotions. She didn't care if it was the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night but she no longer cared. "Is it so hard to find an extra day to spend with me?"

"Misty," he stepped forward, attempting to comfort her.

"Don't you dare touch me!" She pushed him back with the same amount of aversion she would show against a Weedle. "I'm not a weak woman who needs the support from the likes of you. My name is Misty Waterflower. I am a member of the Elite Four of Kanto! And I achieved that without anyone's help. You weren't beside me when I trained hard in my Gym. You weren't there when I made it to the semifinals of the Gym Leaders Tournament. You weren't there when I became an Elite Four. And even now you remembered me because I gave you a taste of your own medicine! I ignored you right on your face when you came to talk to me! That's why you are standing before me, right now!"

Ash withdrew his hand at last. He must have realized the extent to which his actions pained her.

* * *

Misty left after her sudden outburst, leaving the raven-haired Pokémon trainer utterly confused. He didn't run after, because he must have realized going after her only could worsen things.

Brock was stunned himself. Yes, he realized Misty acted strange. Yes, he knew Misty and Ash were slowly drifting away from each other. But he never guessed the problem was this severe. He didn't expect Misty to breakdown either. He could see Dawn crying. He could see May crying. But Misty crying? That was perhaps one of the things he never imagined in his mind.

She must have severely heartbroken to have given out such a lashing reaction. God knows how long she had been hiding all that pain inside her. Her words, her actions all of them suggested the same thing.

She was in love with Ash. She must have really wanted to travel different regions with him. She must have wanted to watch him grow up, step by step. Yet, she was unable to do all those things because after all, she had a life too.

It's not a one or two year crush either. Misty's feelings, they were rooted down to back when they were young, back to when the three of them travelled together. He did notice that something was strange about her ever since they came back from the Orange Islands. Maybe that was when it all began.

And to think that Ash never figured it out…he's really dense. Well he must have understood her feelings now at least.

"I don't get it," Ash said, drowning any of Brock's expectations. "I never knew she was avoiding me on purpose. But why?"

Should he feel bad for Ash or Misty? Brock was unsure at that point. She was a stubborn and egoistic woman who would rather hide her feelings than bring them out. And he? He would never understand anything until he's explained clearly. If these two need to get somewhere Ash needs to understand what Misty's words meant.

"That's because she was disappointed each time you jumped to the next region," Brock explained, as such has been his role since the beginning. "She shut you out so that you won't hurt her again. She doesn't want to have hope."

"I guess you're right," Ash settled down on the grass. "I've been running for one region after the other. I realized I started to lose contact with my old friends. But Brock, I tried to call all of them to be in touch."

"You did call me too," Brock nodded. Yes, Ash didn't spend much time with his old travelling companions but he compensated it by inviting them to yearly reunions, which Misty had never failed to not attend.

"If you guys were hurt because of my actions," he said, looking down at the grass. "You could've told me earlier. Why didn't anyone else point it out? May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan….nobody told me to about it."

"That's because we weren't hurt because of your actions," Brock smirked. The conversation was going in the right direction. Ash was finally questioning things.  
"Only Misty was hurt. Want to guess why?"

_'Even you should figure it now, Ash.'_

Ash frowned, falling into deep thought. "That's because…" he scratched his head. But then his face brightened. "She must be a really sensitive person."

Brock looked around if he could find any rock so that he could chuck it at Ash's head. This man was utterly hopeless.

"Ash," he said, trying his best not to snap. His patience that came from being a doctor really paid him off. "Misty's not an over-sensitive person. Your logic is slightly wrong."

"What do you mean?" He asked, tilting his head in confusion. "If you know what her problem is, then why don't you tell me instead?"

"If I tell you what her problem is," Brock exclaimed, clenching his fists. "You'll simply know what her problem is; you won't be able to comprehend it. You should figure it out by yourself!" He would simply guide Ash to the answer.

"Ah, okay!" Ash said, placing his hands up defensively. "I get it, no need to get excited over that."

"So," Ash said, tilting his head once more as he fell into deep thought. "Misty's not an over-sensitive person. Then why did she react like that?"

Brock sighed, realizing it's time to give a clue. "People get hurt easily by the smallest things when they are either oversensitive or when they care particularly for the attention of a certain person."

"Ah," Ash opened his jaws in surprise. "I get it now. Misty's angry at me because I'm not spending time with her. Then it means that she wants to travel with me."

Ah, finally! He's back onto the track.

"Yes, you're close," Brock said, jumping excitedly. "Now why do you think she likes travelling with you?"

Ash scratched his head again. "I guess it's because…." He paused as Brock waited for the final revelation to come. "She likes…." He said, as Brock clenched his fists in joy. "Travelling?"

Facepalm!

"Oh god, why me?" Brock groaned.

"Ash!" Brock yelled. "If Misty wants to travel, she can put a leave once in a year. The PLA bears the vacation expenses for Gym Leaders and Elite Fours!"

"Wait so travelling isn't her problem?" Ash fell into thought for the umpteenth time. Brock didn't know how much good it did to him. "So, she must like travelling just like we did back then! With us"

Ah, there's still a chance!

"Yes," Brock nodded. "But she's not mad at me. Then that means she must like travelling with…" he paused so that Ash could finish the sentence.

"Me?" Ash asked, unsure.

"Bingo!" Brock exclaimed.

"But wait," Ash put the expression of a confused man again. "She likes to travel with me…but why?"

"Why indeed, Ash?" Brock smiled.

"Ah, I get it now!" Ash exclaimed. But for some reason Brock had a déjà vu. "Misty likes travelling with me because she knows I am going to become the greatest Pokémon trainer ever."

Arceus, was there any end to his denseness?

"Alright! I had enough of this stupidity!"

It wasn't Brock who yelled that. It was a female voice.

The duo turned towards the source of the voice. A woman in her thirties, with long pink hair, wearing a white uniform jumped out of the bushes nearby. The expression on her face suggested that she was extremely pissed off. "She likes you! How can you not understand something so simple, you twerp!"

"Jessie, calm down!" A man wearing a similar uniform emerged from the bushes along with a Meowth. The two of them had to put a lot of effort from keeping Jessie out of Ash's reach.

"We're sorry for the inconvenience," Meowth apologized. "We didn't realize Pikachu wasn't in the scene."

The three of them then disappeared into whatever darkness they came from.

Ash had the realization of the century. His face turned white at first, and then turned into that of an utterly clueless idiot. "Brock, is that true?" He asked.

"Well it seems so," Brock said, folding his arms. "What do you think?"

Ash was dazed for a second. "I don't know," he blinked. "I never thought about these things."

It was strange coming from a 23 year old, Brock wanted to say but that's Ash for you.

"Ash," Brock said, in his best older-brother like tone. "It's high time you think about it. Now you know why Misty was hurt, do you? That's because she wants to be with you. But you were only running far and far out of her grasp. It's the same situation like with your mother."

* * *

Ash remembered it. It was on his nineteenth birthday. He said he would be travelling to a much farther region that time. He said he would set the next day, because he couldn't wait to meet the new Pokémon in that region just like every time.

His mother said he was spending a lot less time at home and she felt like he was slowly losing him. He was actually surprised. He never thought his mother felt like that. Apparently, she had been hiding that feeling ever since the day he immediately set off to the Battle Frontier right after his Hoenn journey. He was always jumping for a new journey at the end of an old one, and in the process he forgot about his own mother.

First it was his mother, and now Misty. Why couldn't they have simply told him in the first place? Had his mother told him to wait for a few days before he set out to Sinnoh, he could have stayed a few days at home. The same with Misty, had she told how she felt he could have done something to more spend time with her.

"I know what's going in your head," Brock said, placing a friendly arm on his shoulder. "You must be wondering why Mrs. Ketchum never told you about how she felt when you kept jumping to one region after the other. She could have stopped you, but she simply couldn't."

She couldn't…?

"It's because they know becoming a Pokémon Master is important to you. They simply didn't want to be the reason holding you back. Well, in Misty's case you could add that she must have some ego issues."

Brock explained further, "You need to understand this, Ash. The women that love you don't tell you about their insecurities. It's just how their mindsets work. Misty will never tell how she feels about you, nor will she tell how much she missed you. It's your job to figure it out."

He was a fool. He didn't meet Misty for all these years because he expected her to tell him if anything was wrong. He did suspect something was strange when she kept missing their reunions parties at Pallet. He took her reasons for granted. He thought she was really busy with her Gym Leader work. But…

In the end, it was his own selfishness that drove him blind. It was always about searching for new Pokémon. Exploring new regions, finding new friends. He had completely forgotten about those who loved him.

He should correct it.

* * *

**The next day….**

"Ms. Waterflower," a gentle hand shook her awake. "Ms. Waterflower, wake up. We have a problem."

Uggh. A problem right in the morning itself?

Misty struggled to get up from her bed. She was awake for almost the whole night. She had been thinking a lot of things, like how she must have erased Ash from her life for good etc. She checked the time on the wall clock; it was nine in the morning. She must have fallen asleep at some time around five.

"What's happening?" Misty asked the manager who woke her up, tying up her loose hair with a band.

"Well," the woman hesitated before opening the curtains, letting the bright sunlight find its way into the room.

A raven-haired man was standing before the gate, trying his best to break through the security and the gate. Even though the guards were three in number, they were having a hard time constraining him.

"He asked permission to come inside," the woman beside her said. "But you have strictly informed me not to let him in. I relayed him the same information, but it seems he doesn't want to abide by it."

And she fell in love with _him_?

"Let him in," Misty said, pulling down the curtains again. "I'll deal with him for one last time."

Today, she will use the harshest if the words, the meanest of the remarks and what not. She will make sure he would never dare to even look at Cerulean City after today. It was better that way both for him and her.

She met him in the living room, where he settled down on the couch while she took the seat farthest from him.

"It seems like you've not learned your lesson yet Mr. Ketchum," she said, as the maid brought either of them a cup of tea. No matter how much she didn't want him in here, he was a guest after all. "I'm not a fan of repeating things twice."

"There you go talking like Paul again," he said, putting an expression only a ten year old would. "Why don't you talk like Misty?"

Why does he keep brushing away the mask she worked so hard to put up? But she has to put it on now. If she loses her cool and break like last night, he'll only come again and again. In the end, it will land both of them in trouble.

"This is the way I speak," she said, sipping the tea. "If you have a problem with it, you always have the option of cutting the conversation."

"I suppose I can do that," he grinned. "But then again I really want to talk to you."

"About?" She asked, not sounding interested.

"Us," he said.

Her heart froze for a second. Did he just say 'us'? Nah, she was just hallucinating. It must be her hormones. She really needs to visit that psychiatrist.

"After you left last night," he said, making himself comfortable on her couch. "I thought for some time."

She remained silent. As much as she wanted to look disinterested, she was curious to know what he came up with his dense little head.

"I wondered why things are the way they are now. I understood it was my mistake. I kept wondering why you kept missing the reunions and I thought what Daisy said were true. I never thought you made her lie to avoid me. Then I realized it was my fault. You really missed travelling with me and I kept going from one region to the other and always left you behind. "

"We can skip the obvious," she said, coldly. More like—she couldn't hear it anymore. The more he spoke, the more she sounded like a spoilt brat who is trying to take revenge on him for petty reasons. He was trying to point out his faults, but he was in fact pointing out hers.

"Brock told me that," he hesitated to make eye contact for the first time in years. Now, that was something unlike him. "You could be in love with me."

Idiot.

"What do you think?" She asked. Okay, wasn't she supposed to lead the conversation the other way? Towards its end?

"I…" he scratched his cheek which was now glowing with a tint of red. "I think he's right."

She laughed at that. No, that wasn't a mean villainous laugh. It was more like a teasing laugh. "I'm surprised, Ash. Since when did you familiarize with the concept of love?" He actually looked cute.

His face turned redder at that. Who was the girl now? "Hey you're not supposed to joke when I am being serious."

"Shouldn't you be glad that I'm even talking to you?" she said, giving him an arrogant scoff.

"What I am asking is," he said, pulling her back to the conversation. "I need you to wait for three more months. I'll win against the rest of the Elite Four and take part in the Champion's League. If I win it, I'm almost a Pokémon Master."

"After that, I want you to come with me so that we could travel again," he said, putting an envelope before her.

"What's this?" She asked, opening the envelope.

"A ticket to the Undella Bay," he said, lowering his cap in an attempt to hide his face. "There are lots of rare Water Pokémon over there, and it's a holiday spot too. You can use the chance to train yourself for Wallace."

"And you're planning all of this under the assumption that you will win the Champion's League?" She couldn't bring herself to trust with his plan.

"I'm sure I'll win," he said clenching his fists, a determined smirk on his face. "So Misty, I want you to wait for these three months, that's all I ask."

Misty looked at the tickets in her hand, skeptically. Ash wasn't suggesting a romantic trip. So she had no reason to refuse it. Besides, she did hear that the Undella Bay had extremely rare water Pokémon. She was planning to catch a Jellicent anyway.

Had he given a romantic speech, she would have kicked him out. Had he tried something drastic like kissing her to win her heart back, she could have kicked him out. Had he tried something obvious by proposing out of the blue, she would have kicked out.

But he was being Ash Ketchum. He's simply asking to travel with her again and this time they will be travelling for her, so that she could be strong enough to beat Wallace. Training under the world's greatest Pokémon Master would be a wonderful opportunity. So basically it was something she could never refuse because it was not out of bounds but at the same time a journey just for the two of them obviously meant _something_. It was perfect.

"For the first time in my life," she said, a smile returning to her face. "I think I'm impressed by how smart you are. I'll consider it."

Where did all her determination to insult him go? She didn't know. She wanted to take revenge on him. She wanted to make him feel the pain she suffered these ten years.

But how could she? Looking at his innocent face that never meant harm for anyone, how could she hate him? Besides he wasn't demanding her to reconcile with him. He was only requesting her to come with him on a journey. It wasn't that bad was it?

In the end her ego lost. It was trampled to death by his naivety. But somewhere inside it was still kicking alive. She wouldn't be able to forgive him so easily, but she would at least give him a chance.

* * *

_In these ten years we drifted apart. Most of it was my fault. I was thickheaded like you say, and I was totally obsessed with my goal to become a Pokémon Master. I wanted to travel new places, and meet new Pokémon. I never realized how selfish I was. Maybe had I noticed your feelings a lot sooner, I would have done something about it._

_Right now, I am a total stranger to you. You don't know the things I've seen and experienced in these many years and at the same time I don't know what you have gone through either. Yeah, now I realize how bad things are._

_But it won't stay that way. Three more months and I'll be back for you Misty. Then it's going to be just you and me. I'll make up for each and every second we have lost. I'll make sure you'll never cry and I'll be on your side when you become the world's strongest Water Pokémon Master._

_And maybe in time, I can fix that heart I shattered into pieces._

_For now, we are strangers. But we can slowly evolve into friends and then maybe….maybe there's a stage beyond it. The final evolution_

.

**THE END  
**

Are you dissatisfied with the end? You must be, because I definitely didn't write a satisfactory end to this story. In the end, Ash and Misty didn't fall into each others arms and have a passionate kiss or whatever else people expect from shipping fics.

Ash has only convinced her to come with him, like a stranger. There's more after this. A lot of fluffy stuff could happen, a bit of drama too. But all that comes after is left to the reader's speculation.

The reason why I wrote Pokeshipping this way is because the lack of Misty appearances in the canon recently. I am pretty sure something like this might not happen in the canon because they will obviously ignore shipping, but if Ash keeps going on to new regions, making more and more friends, would it be hard to call this story a stretch?

The next one-shot will be on **AdvanceShipping. **Yes, Advanceshipping is a rival to Pokeshipping, but that doesn't stop me! I'm a multishipper, I love each of these shippings equally.

But I don't want this to be just Ash ships. Somewhere down the road, we might even come across Eldershipping or something very absurd like KitchenShipping. What I will write is anyone's guess.


End file.
